1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image-processing apparatuses including display units for displaying various types of information, and more particularly to an image-processing apparatus for easily searching for various types of information to display the information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, display units for displaying image information have multiple functions, and, for example, digital television receivers can handle several tens to several hundred channels that are selected by viewers. Other than digital television receivers, various types of terminal units installed in, for example, banks or retail stores also handle many information channels that are selected by users. Mobile data terminals also handle many information channels.
An input device for operating the television receiver and various types of terminal units may be a remote controller that is connected to these units either wirelessly or via a cable, or it may be integrated with these units.
Unfortunately, since known input devices are mainly numeric keypads or keyboards, operation units cannot handle the high volume of information to be displayed on display units. Thus, for example, a user needs to press buttons provided on a remote controller many times to display necessary information, and the operation thus becomes cumbersome.
An input device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-123363 includes a tablet-type coordinate detection unit and a numeric keypad. This input device allows a user to input many types of information through a position detection signal from the coordinate detection unit or an input signal from the numeric keypad. However, even when this input device is used in combination with a display unit for displaying a high volume of information, the user needs to sequentially display multiple screens by performing a predetermined operation. Thus, when the user selects any information from the high volume of information, the operation is cumbersome.